Computers often incorporate security measures to protect programs and data from security threats. Examples of security threats include malware, such as viruses and trojans. Anti-virus applications that can scan files and data located at a computer to identify possible threats are commonly installed as a security measure. Anti-virus applications typically compare each file at the computer where they are installed to virus definition files. The vendor of the anti-virus application may periodically update the virus definition files used by the anti-virus application, so that computer users may be protected from the latest security threats.
When an anti-virus application detects a virus at a computer, it typically disrupts a user of the computer with a notification that a virus has been detected. Some anti-virus programs send information regarding the detected virus to the vendor of the anti-virus program. Upon receiving the information regarding the virus, the vendor may occasionally desire additional information regarding the computer where the virus was identified. When the vendor desires additional information, the user of the computer may be interrupted with a notification that the vendor desires the additional information regarding the computer.